US48400A - Improvement in railroad-frogs - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GIBBoNs G. HIOKMANOE DowNINGToyvN, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-moes'.

lSpecilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,400, dated June 27, 1865.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, GIBBoNs G. HIGKMAN, ot' Downingtown, in the county of Chester and State ot' Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Frogs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a i'ull and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a. plan. section in line w m.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention consistsiu so constructing and applying the movable part of a railroad-frog that it is made capable oi' returning to its normal position by the force ot' gravitation after Fig. 2 is a transverse ,it has been moved by the carwheels, and locked or retained in its closed or normal position by the weight of the wheels when the latter are running thereon.

The following description will enable others skilled in the art to whichn'ny invention appertains to fully understand and use the same.

` In the accompanying drawings, Arepresents the timber or sub-support to which the various parts of the frog are attached.

B represents the movable rail or piece, which is turned out laterally by the iianges ofthe wheels, which are transferred from the rail C to the ruil D, the end of the movable rail B be. ing liared outward to nllow the flanges to readily pass between it and the stationary rail G.

"The anges ot' the wheels, which run upon the railsB and C, are on the inside of the latter, so that no lateral movement of the rail or turng out B will be produced by such wheels.

To admit of the movement which it is required to undergo, the rail B is pivoted at one end, as represented at b, and for the purpose of giving the requisite support to the rail when it is moved outward, and at the same time to effect a vertical as well as a lateral movement thereof, I employ hinges E E. These hinges are jointed at their lower ends to fixed points e e, and to their upper ends to lugs on the turnout'or rail B. It will be seen that the links E E cause the rail B to rise or move upward as well as outward when acted upon by the flanges ot' the wheels, which run from rail C to rail D. Checks F F limit the lateral movement of the rail B, so that when it has been moved outward to its greatest extremity the hinges or supports E E are inclined inward slightly. Hence when the ear-wheels have passed the rail B the latter resumes its normal .position (which is against rail G) by its natural tendencyf-thut is to say, by the influence of gravity. The Wheels which run on the rail or turnout B holds the same tirmly in itsproper position-that is to say, close up to therail C-Y-its tendency beingincreased in that direction under the imposed weight of the train.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent-eis- The ruil B, applied and secured in such manner as to be caused to assume itsy normal position by the influence of gravity after it has been moved by the wheels of a passing train, and also adapted to be retained in position by the pressure of the wheels when the latter are runnin'g upon it, substantially as herein de- 'scribed and represented eIEBoNs e. HICKMAN.

Witnesses:

ALEXR. A. G. KLAUGKE, CHARLES D. SMITH.

Images